The present disclosure relates to a mechanism used to tilt a seat and more particularly to a horizontal acting mechanism used to tilt a seat in a vehicle.
Many vehicle seats are equipped with a seat tilt adjustment that allows a passenger to adjust the incline of the seat. Often these adjustment mechanisms are located under the front of the seat or on the side of the lower seat cushion. One common type of seat tilt mechanism requires the passenger to reach between their legs and squeeze the vertical acting adjustment handle located on the seat bottom in order to actuate the seat tilt mechanism. This can be difficult because the seat tilt mechanism handle is often located just underneath the seat cushion and the weight of the passenger can cause the seat cushion to encroach on the handle making it difficult to squeeze the handle and actuate the mechanism. Moreover, the weight of the passenger can make it difficult to adjust the seat tilt to the desired position as the passenger's weight must be accounted for when adjusting the tilt. There is a need, therefore, for seat tilt mechanisms that can be easily accessed and actuated by passengers while they are seated.